Book One of the Tao Quartet: Two Sides
by Pan202
Summary: Pirika enters a qeast to figure out the mysteroury of two Ren's, and chaos insues. Will she be able to figure out the mystery and bring Ren back into existence? Complete! Look for Errdegahr Lar it's out!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, and welcome to the first part of my new fan fiction in titled, Two Sides: A Shaman king fan fiction. If you've read my previous works you would know that I like to go into the supernatural part of life, and death. I love attacking the loving relationship of Ren/Pirika, that's the coupling I love the most. Now, sit tight and read on.

Chapter one: Two sides

"Okay Ren, tell me this much."

"What?"

"Why the heck are we using out mana to float over a spike that is standing over a raging river!"

Ren smirked, looking like as if he wanted to laugh but he held it back. "Anna's sick so she told me to come up with training. She didn't trust you or Yoh; she knew nothing would get gone if you were in charge."

"Hey, that was uncalled for," Yoh said, looking at him but there was a smile on his face.

"So this is what I came up with. This kind of training is good because it helps you to know how to focus your mana. I use to do this all the time when I was younger."

"What a nice childhood…" Horo muttered.

"You don't know the half of it."

Yoh frowned. "How much longer do we have to do this?"

Ren looked down at his hand that was closed to the spike, his green mana keeping him afloat just beyond the point. They were in the vertical pushup position, one hand dangerously close to the spike the other behind their back. He looked at his watch and then back at Yoh.

"Five minutes."

"Uggg…" Horo sighed as he looked down.

"Stop complaining."

---

"The storm really came up quickly."

Anna sat in a dark blue cushion chair, a blanket around her shoulders. Ren was staring out the window with a blank look in his eyes. He snapped out of it and nodded.

"Yeah, but we got in before the storm got bad."

"You should get some rest," Anna said coolly, looking at him closely, "You look pale."

"I used too much mana in the training, maybe I should," Ren left quietly then, going down the hall to his room. He didn't feel well at all, waves of pain surge through him making it a little hard to walk. He ran a hand through his hair and lay down on his bed.

"Why am I sick? I didn't do that… much," and he fell asleep.

---

"Hey Ren," Pirika knocked on his door. Ren had been asleep since ten last night (it was now one in the afternoon) and she was getting worried. The door opened and Ren stared back at her.

"What is it?"

"Oh, Anna told me to get you up; it's one in the afternoon."

Ren hit his head lightly on the door frame. "I can't believe I slept in that long, I better get moving."

He brushed pass her, and she noticed how pale he was. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and he stopped. For a moment he looked at their locked hands then his eyes moved up to hers.

"What?"

"Your sick, you shouldn't train."

Ren shook his head. "I have to. I got to get stronger so I can be Shaman King."

"No way, you're going to get something to eat and then you are going to rest."

His eyes narrowed and in a quick movement slapped her across the face. "No Aniu-baka tells me what I will and will not do; you don't know anything about me." And then he snatched his hand back and left down the stairs.

"Damn you, Tao Ren."

---

"Fucker!"

HoroHoro grabbed the front of the Chinese Shaman's shirt and slammed him into the wall. From his narrowed eyes and the angered expression on his face Pirika had told her brother what he did. "You hit my sister, your going to pay."

Horo's fist slammed into Ren's face, sending him to the ground to his left. At the moment, Ren didn't have enough strength to fight back so he just sat up and whipped the blood away from his lips. There was a sudden pain in his side as Horo kicked him, sending him rolling a few feet until he came to a stop. Coughing, Ren sat up.

"You shouldn't be so ready to fight for revenge," he stated simply.

"You're just a coward, look at you! You're not even fighting back!"

"I have nothing to gain from it."

Horo picked Ren up by the caller of his shit and lifted him up. He was about to punch him when a icy voice said;

"Leave him alone Horo, he won't learn anything from his idiot mistakes if you are always beating him up!"

Horo finished punching Ren and then turned to his sister. "He hit you, deserves it."

Pirika shook her head and walked over to Ren. "So what, forgave him you should too."

She helped Ren and he leaned on her. What ever was wrong with him was sapping his strength and making him unbearably weak. He didn't like feeling that way. A Tao was never weak. She supported him and brought him inside where she grabbed a First Aid kit and got to work.

"You have to learn how to be nice to people," she said as she put some ointment on a bruise that was forming. "I know you may have your pride to think about but being nice never hurt anyone."

Ren didn't say anything but kept his eyes low and looked to be in thought. He didn't want help, he didn't need it. He was a Tao, strong and better then most. Much better then any Aniu girl… but did he really believe that?

"Thanks," he said simply and getting up he walked to his room.

---

'Do I have a crush on Pirika?'

Strange thoughts traveled thought his mind, confusing him and making him wonder. He paced around the room but stopped and stared at the mirror.

"I don't need this. I'm a Tao; I can't fall in love with a member of another lower family."

He knew he had something, something his mother gave him to deal with such a problem. He looked around, throwing things across the room as he searched. It was a pendent, the other Tao family heirloom besides the Sword of Thunder. There was a large ruby in the center of it, the size of a golf ball and perfectly round. A silver scaled dragon wrapped around it and was beautifully carved. He found it at the bottom of an old bag.

"This is meant to bury my love until I can find the true on for myself. But if the girl is the one, I will be split apart."

He thought for a moment, weighting his choices. In the end thought he slipped on the pendent and exited the room to find her.

Pirika was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Ren took deep breaths and once again weighted his choices. Did he really want to take the chance? If she was the one, his soul would be split apart and he would have no idea what would happen after that. Shacking his head, he knew there was no reason to worry. She wasn't the one. Putting a hand on her shoulder he said darkly;

"I will not love you, Pirika of the Aniu."

At first nothing happened, all was quiet and still but suddenly great pain surged through Ren that sent him backwards; crying in pain. Pirika, though still confused by what he just said to her, try to go to figure out what was wrong with him but he pushed her away. Gripping his head he screamed out and fell to his knees. By that time the others had arrived and were trying to figure out what was wrong.

There was an earthquake coming from Ren that stopped suddenly as a burst of light started at his chest and then spread all over him. By that time he had stopped screaming and was just staring at the ceiling. The light grew brighter and the others had to shield their eyes from it, for fear of hurting their eyes. Two yells were heard and then two loud thumps before the light stopped and Ren fell to the ground.

Pirika crawled over to Ren and gasped. His eyes were still side open but completely blank. She picked up his body and held it close to her. Suddenly the two new comers yelled at each other with voices that sounded oddly familiar.

"Damn you, this is your entire fault!"

"I didn't do anything!"

They all turned towards the two and were silent for a few moments. Finally, Horo said what they were all thinking;

"What the hell, two Ren's!"

**End of chapter one…**

A/N: So, what did you think? I had this idea in my head for a while, and because of the failure of 'Change of Heart' I deiced to work on a new fan fiction. Of course there is the other gender switching one I could but on here but I plan to redo that one soon. This should be a long fan fiction filled with plot twist and good character development. I'm not sure how well this one will do but hopefully you like it and review! Thanks all of you and so long! R&R!


	2. Chapter Two: The Quest

A/N: Oh my god, I got so many reviews on chapter one of this fan fiction it surprises me. Normally I don't get any reviews on chapter one but I'm glad I did. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, and thank you for your encouraging words. I hope to continue to keep you entertained in the future. So in chapter one, Ren tried to bury his love for Pirika by using the grand Tao pendent but he ended up splitting his soul apart. Now there are two Ren's, who knows what is going to happen next.

Chapter two: A quest for answers

It was true; two Ren's were sitting on opposite sides of the room. The grumpier of the two was sitting against the wall, his arms crossed. He had dark black hair with bangs going down into his eyes which were gold. He had on a black t-shirt with gold trim, a white tiger on it looking like he was ready to spring up, and black shorts. He had a short of sour, angry expression on his face and he looked at no one.

The other Ren was just sitting, leg drawn up close to his body, a worried expression on his face. His hair was gray and longer then Ren's hair, going down to his shoulders. He looked a lot more innocent then the other Ren and his eyes were wide and kind. He looked around unsurely and it looked like he wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Yoh walked over to him and held out his hand;

"Hi!"

Gray Ren (A/N: I'll call him that fore now) looked at him with the same unsure eyes and he took his hand. Yoh helped him up and he said, "Hello."

Dark Ren ot up and looked at Ren's body; glaring at Ren he said, "You did this didn't you?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"I don't fucking know," he crossed his arms before looking at the Tao pendent and he slapped his hand against his head. "The idiot, he used the pendent."

"So we are stuck this way?"

"We are, until the curse is broken."

The others as you have most likely have guesses were really confused by now. Pirika, who was still holding Ren, stared wide eye at the two. Horo was leaning against the wall. Yoh looked surprise while Anna looked calm.

"What happened, who you are," Pirika asked finally.

Dark Ren and Gray Ren looked at each other before Dark Ren looked back at her. "We are two sides of his souls. I am the darkness."

"And I am the light," Gray Ren chimed in.

"When Ren used the pendent, he caused his soul to be split apart into two parts. His body is just a shell now, completely empty."

Pirika looked down at Ren's eyes, which were closed now, and held him a little closer. "How can we help him?"

"Find a counter curse," Black Ren said as he sat down in a wooden chair. "But I don't know where the counter curse is."

Gray Ren just looked at Pirika with his wide eyes and smiled. "Everything will be fine."

She blinked and then nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "Yeah, I hope."

Horo sat down and ran a hand throw his hair. "This is really confusing, but I'll go with it."

---

"I guess we better get going," Gray Ren said as he put the bag on his shoulder, "but where?

"We should head to the old Tao family palace, it will have a few clues," Dark Ren told him coolly.

Pirika nodded. Dark Ren turned to her and blinked in surprise. "You don't think your coming with us do you?"

"I am," she said, jabbing a dinger into his face. "It's my fault this all happened and I will fix it."

He blinked again and then smirked. "You have courage, but this is not your problem. You're not coming."

"I'm coming no matter what."

Gray Ren said they could use the help while Dark Ren only glared back at her. He didn't like her at the moment right now; all she was is an annoying Aniu girl who really didn't understand the dangers of their journey. There was no talking her out of it, of that he was sure. He glared and said icily;

"You can come with us but the moment you start to complain we're sipping you back to the Aniu village you belong to."

She nodded and they shook on it.

---

"Well, we're leaving now," Dark Ren said as they stood outside the exit of the En Inn (flame). He was wearing an orange vest with yellow trim. His pants were a light blue and he also wore yellow-orange boots.

"I'm ready." Gray Ren on the other hand wore the same out fit (a little bigger thought) that Ren wore when Yoh first meet him. He wore a white shirt with long sleeves and a tie under a green blazer. His shorts were also black and were short. He also wore black boots.

Pirika came out wearing a light blue long sleeve shirt with similar color pants and furry boots. She had her bag on her shoulders and had a furry scarf in her hand. "I want to be prepared," she told them after they stared for a moments.

Dark Ren looked a Pirika for a few moments before saying, "Say your good byes quickly. We may be gone for a long while." Then he walked to the car.

Horo came up to her and hugged her quickly, whispering in her ear; "Keep and eye on those two. Tamara got strange visions with them in it and I have a really bad feeling. And stay safe."

Pirika nodded and promised him. Anna walked over and said he good bye quickly and quietly. Yoh hugged her tightly and said that he hopes they figure out something.

With that… they left.

**End of Chapter two….**

A/N: Alright, it's all done. So what did you all think about it? I hope it is still good. Well, to cut this short, next chapter will involve the trip to China. R&R please.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three: The old Tao palace

"Here we are."

The old Tao palace sat on the southern edge of china, or the China-Tibet boulder. It was tall, and a little run down because of ill use, but it was still amazing looking. It was made out of red wood and stone, three central buildings and a few smaller ones. There was a stone wall around the buildings but the gate was hanging in a strange way because the hinges were broke. Dark Ren walked over to the gate and pushed it aside so they could get in.

"Why did they leave this place," Pirika asked as she walked inside with Gray Ren followed quickly behind. Dark Ren narrowed his eyes slightly and then continued walking. He didn't seem to want to answer her question but Gray Ren answered her answer.

"Long ago, the Tao family was pushed far away from the Forbidden City and they were pushed so far that they ended up here. Life was hard here until the palace was build, then the training for the next Shaman tournament began. One day one of the Shamans turned against his brothers and he killed many people before he was killed himself. They left this place because they thought it was cursed.

Pirika shivered and nodded. "Sounds horrible."

"It's not as bad as what they experienced in the Forbidden City." Dark Ren hissed darkly as they entered the large red palace tower.

Pirika had heard tales of what happened to the Tao family in the past from Ren himself, when he was in a mood to tell it. Pain and suffering, she remembered that much. He wouldn't tell much about what happened and he would also only tell those tales when he was depressed.

There were three directions to go in when they got inside the palace tower. Dark Ren looked around for a moment before walking down the hallway to his right. The floor was covered with a long, wide rug that nearly touched the walls. There were still paintings on the wall, most of them were warriors dieing in battle. There was beautiful painting of a woman thought, sitting in a wooden chair in her painting. She was English though from the look of her. She had long blond hair that trailed down to her waist. She had blue eyes and also and she was wearing a dark blue dress, a warm smile on her face.

"Who's she," Pirika asked as she stared at the painting.

"How am I suppose to know," Dark Ren asked.

----

Dark Ren leaned against the wall, his breath labored. He had been separated from the others and didn't know where he was. On top of that he was beginning to feel sick. He ran a hand threw his hair and continued down the hall.

Stopping, he looked around the area. He thought he heard something, like heavy foot steps behind him. When he didn't hear it again, he continued walking.

Thump.

He heard the damn noise again. He stopped and looked back. Blinding light and confusing noise filled his mind and the pain sent him to the ground. He tried to see but all that was there was white. Presently he heard a voice.

"Trying to stop me, aren't you," it asked. The voice was like someone he had heard from someone before, but it was warped that he couldn't be sure.

"Who are you," he yelled out, trying to stand but falling to the ground for the effort.

"I am the shadow you have been chasing. I found you first it seems. You can't beat me, you know that. Your friends are doomed, you will fail them."

"No I won't. All I have to do is expose you to them before you reach full power."

"I would say your too foolish."

The voice hissed something in some unknown tongue and then the light disappeared and Parka and Gray Ren ran over to him. When Pirika tried to help him up he pushed her away and got up himself.

"Damn Aniu, I can handle myself," then he walked off.

"His so insensitive, damn it," Pirika said, crossing her arms. She looked at Gray Ren and sighed. "At least I have you around to talk to."

He smiled and grabbed her hand. "Come on, we got to follow him."

----

"Okay," Gray Ren said, "we've found nothing so far. Let's keep looking."

"What the point," Pirika asked as she threw up her hands, "we've found nothing, let's go."

Dark Ren rolled his eyes. "We'll find something."

"No we won't. The only thing we found is an over sized ego and -ahhh!"

She had been leaning against a wall when it broke and sent her rolling into a room where she came face to face with a skeleton.

"Ahhh!"

"Stop screaming loud mouth, can you believe her," Dark Ren asked before going through the hole. Gray Ren sighed but followed.

"What the hell, who leaves the dead laying on their death beds," Pirika asked as she stood up, brushing herself off. Dark Ren shook his head.

"Someone in a hurry. She must of either died before the shaman went insane or after."

"How do you know it's a girl?"

"The cloths, I don't think men wear dresses."

Pirika took a deep breath and touched the woman's forehead, and had a vision. This is what she saw;

Vision

The woman from the painting was pacing around her room (the room they were at presently), waiting it seemed. Her blond hair was held out of her face by being put up in a tight bun in the back of her head. She looked around outside, into the busy courtyard, before the door opened.

A man was standing there, tall for a Chinese man, a Kon dow held tightly in his hand. He was shaved, and there were strange markings on the top of his head. His eye brows were

violet thought and his eyes were gold. He wore a red traditional Chinese robe with lighter red pants. When he saw the girl he dropped his weapon and ran over to her. She fell into his arms.

"Yang, I'm so worried," she said, holding on to him tightly, "what is going on?"

He tightened his hold on her, "There worried about Ting, Alexandria. They think he is unstable. They want to destroy him."

Alexandria looked up at Yang, her bright blue eyes shining unsurely. "They won't will they?"

"I'm not sure, they won't talk to me."

"I'm sorry."

End vision

Pirika shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "What was that?"

Gray Ren put a hand on Pirika's shoulder. "Did you see something?"

"Yes." And so she explained her vision. At first both of the Ren's didn't say anything, but finally Dark Ren said they should see if she had anymore of her visions.

"Maybe they will give up a clue to why this is happened to us."

She just nodded and thought, 'Who was that girl, and why was she in China?"

**End Chapter three…**

A/N: Oh my, all done with chapter three, and got it up finally. I'm so glad everyone likes this so far, because soon it will be getting darker and more and more secrets about the Tao family shall be reviled. And who was Yang and Ying? What about Alexandria? All will be reviled in future chapters, stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Been getting a lot or reviews for this and it still surprised me, can people like my writing that much? Well, in this chapter some more puzzled some into play and we discover that Dark Ren may have a few secrets that he's not telling us. Also, more flash backs! Read and review please!

Chapter Four: More puzzles

"Come on," Dark Ren said as he got up, "we got to keep looking. Maybe Aniu girl will have another vision."

"I have a name you know," Pirika said grumpily as she followed quickly behind. Gray Ren smiled and followed.

"You'll always be Aniu girl to me," he said with a smile but it slipped from his face as they approached two large doors. "The main hall, the place where the head of the family sits, it's just beyond these doors."

He opened the door and they walked into the hall. It was large; about five En Inn's could fit inside of the large space. In it's time it may have been grand by now it lay in complete ruin. Tables were rotting, over turned and a few cut in half, glasses and plats scattered around the floor. There were bodies everywhere also, some with armor on but the most of them wore just cloth robes. Pirika shivered as she looked around.

"Did the insane shaman do this," she asked Dark Ren.

He didn't hear her, and if he did he didn't bother to answer as he walked over to the throne in the back of the room. When Pirika and Gray Ren tried to figure out what was wrong there was a dead look in his eyes, like he was in a trance. He walked pass the throne and over to the wall behind it and without any change in the look on his face placed his hands on it and it lit up in greenish light. He walked threw the wall and was gone from sight.

"Come on," Pirika and Gray Ren ran to the wall and it lit up right before they got to it. They too found out that they could walk threw the wall, and did so. They found Dark Ren lying on the ground, his eyes closed.

"Hey," Pirika said as she sat him up, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, just fine," Dark Ren rubbed his head and looked around. "How the hell did we get here?"

"You went into a trance," Gray Ren said, "and walked threw the wall behind the throne."

"I remember a voice, and it was calling me," he said as he got up, "I don't remember anything else though."

"And you call me messes up," Pirika said, crossing her arms and smiling. "You're the strange one."

"Don't call me strange you Aniu-"he stopped short.

"What's wrong?"

"…Uh nothing, let's keep going."

With out saying anything more, Dark Ren began walking down the hall and they had to hurry to get to him. Pirika knew for sure now that Dark Ren was born mostly from Ren's anger, and she was partially right. Gray Ren was calm but more cheerful then the other Ren and for that she was happy. It gave her someone to talk to. She shook her head at Dark Ren's anger, and continued to walk.

Dark Ren paused for a moment and looked back at the two of them, then shook his head. He ran a shacking hand threw his hair and then continued to walk. Something had to be troubling him.

'Look at me, god I'm shacking,' he thought to himself. 'Why the hell do I feel like running away?'

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see it was Pirika. "What?"

"Are you alright," she asked, "you're shacking."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She let her hand fall off his shoulder and he began to walk again. She wasn't sure though, and deiced quietly that she would figure out what was wrong.

---

"Hurry up, stop being such slow pokes," Dark Ren said bitterly. The hall way they were walking in was dark and full of cobwebs, and the walls were made out of gray stone. Pirika guessed that this had to of been a hall way of great importance since it was made out of stone. She ran a hand against the wall as she walked when suddenly her hand brushed against something. There were words written on the wall, carved into the stone. They said;

_**Darkness fills this place.**_

_**Beware of one of your friends,**_

_**For evil has twisted**_

_**Them. And trust your visions.**_

_**A.T.**_

"Hey guys, look at his," Pirika called to them.

"What does it mean," Gray Ren asked as he stared at the words. Dark Ren shrugged.

"I think Alexandria, the girl from my visions wrote this for me to see."

"Don't assume that," Dark Ren said. "The Tao family left this place a long time ago, long before you were born."

"I don't think so, she could have had visions."

He nodded. "I guess that could be true. Still doesn't make sense."

"Your part of the soul of a shaman and your saying this doesn't make sense?" She shook her head.

"Let's keep going," he said, "we should find something soon."

----

Pirika sat down and yawned. She was growing tired; all she wanted to do is lie down and sleep. Dark Ren was pacing a little, while Gray Ren just sat. Pirika sighed lightly and said;

"It has to be getting late, let's rest here," she said. Gray Ren agreed brightly. Dark Ren grumbled lightly but didn't say anything as he sat down. Gray Ren stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to find us some blankets, I'll be right back," and he ran off toward the direction of the wall portal.

Pirika watched him go and stared at Dark Ren as he sat in the gloom. He didn't seem to know that she was watching and seemed to be in deep thought. He ran a shaky hand threw his hair and looked at the wall. Pirika spoke up then;

"You're so gloomy," she said, "and I guess that's part of what you got from Ren."

He blinked and then nodded. "Yes. I was just hoping that we find out some answers soon."

"So do I, I hope we can get Ren back to normal soon."

Dark Ren stared at her closely, his golden eyes shining in the dark. "I bet you would like that, thought I wonder how important he was to you."

She shook her head and said, "Very important. He was a good friend, though quiet and shy. He would only talk to me honestly if there was no one else around. He was also tormented by things he did in the past, but he was recovering. He was a good person."

He watched her quietly and wondered about what she said. "What would you do if we never joined together again and Ren remind the way he is?"

"I don't know, I guess I would continue to look for answers and hope for the best." Dark Ren shook his head.

"I don't understand how you can remain so hopeful."

"Maybe it was just the way I was brought up."

About that time Gary Ren returned with three large fur blankets. He sat down and handed Dark Ren and Pirika one. "I found these in a storage room," he told them calmly. "They should keep us warm enough."

Pirika nodded and lay down, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. As much as she hated the fact that she was sleeping in a creepy hallway that Dark Ren discovered in a trance, she was to tried to keep going. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

Begin Dream Vision

She looked around the now completely clean and richly furnished stone hallway with amazement. Large tapestries hanged from the wall, long wooden benches where against the walks and had books and scrolls covering them. The hall way was lit up with flaming torches that danced in the breeze.

In front of her walked Alexandria, this time she was wearing a green dress and her long hair hanged lose to her shoulders. She was humming to herself as she walked and was smiling. Just as she reached the first turn, Yang jumped out and grabbed her.

"Ahh," she screamed in joy as he picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

"Got you," he laughed, "you can't hide form me!"

"Yang! Let me go!"

He sat her down in a chair and sat down by her. She smiled brightly as he said, "Ying wants to see you soon. He may do that later today, if he doesn't get too busy."

"I would like that, I haven't seen him in a long while."

"With all the training he's going threw because he's chosen for the tournament no wonder, but I'm just a lowly guard."

"Your not just a guard to me," Alexandria said as she put her head on his shoulder, "you're the person I love."

Yang ran a hand threw her hair and smiled. "You're too kind. Oh, my mother made a pendent today that is suppose to help you get rid of feelings for someone if you're not meant to be together. She's thinking about using it on herself."

"You wouldn't use it, would you?" Alexandria looked a bit worried.

"No, I know we're meant to be together. Besides, if tow people are meant to be together and the person who used it didn't know that before hand, their soul would get split in half."

"Scary."

"No need to worry though, everything will be fine."

End Dream Vision

Pirika woke up from her strange dream to find Dark Ren leaning against her, still asleep. He looked so peaceful and innocent that she didn't want to wake him up and watched quietly. He shifted a little in his sleep and moaned quietly. Gray Ren slept close by, curled up into a ball and snoring loudly. Dark Ren slept quietly and didn't snore, he only bereaved quietly.

His eyes opened and she jumped back a couple on inches but he didn't seem to be bothered by her. He yawned and looked at her before saying, "It is morning?"

She blushed and shrugged. "I don't know, there's no window in here."

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and smiled slightly. "I wonder how long we've been asleep."

Gray Ren rolled over, still rapped up in his fur blanket and yawned. "When's breakfast?"

Dark Ren kicked him in the side and growled, "Now until way later, we have more important things to do," he then looked at Pirika, "since we didn't find anything big, we'll go back to Japan for a while. How does that sound?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sounds great to me, let's go."

As they left, something in the shadows crept sickeningly along, but made no sound. It smiled slightly when it noticed Pirika, showing fanged and jagged teeth and then followed behind. It had found its target.

**End chapter four**

A/N: How boy, that was a long chapter, more than I expected really. So, how did you like it? I hope it was good. Next chapter the gang meets a strange man who tells Dark Ren something interesting, and Gray Ren goes missing! Also, the monster attacks Pirika! Can Dark Ren save her? Stay tuned. Please R&R.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow, chapter five is longer then four… Hmm, I wonder how that happened? I would like to thank everyone who reviewed so far, it makes me feel all happy! Make sure to review when you're done with reading this chapter. And if you can guess the coupling or the villain, you get a cookie!

Chapter Five: Strange happenings

"Hm," I don't remember this path."

Dark Ren had found his way up a hill, and was looking around the area. He wore a confused look on his face, and shook his head. Pirika walked over and shook her head.

"We're lost, aren't we?"

He blinked and looked at her, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to admit they were indeed lost, and he didn't want her to start to worry. It was just like a girl to begin to worry and then cry and refuse to go any further. He was underestimating Pirika though, she was stronger then he thought.

"Come on, this way," Gray Ren called. He was pointing ahead, towards a weed covered path. He began to walk down the path and Pirika followed quickly behind. Dark Ren stayed back for a moment and looked at his hand.

"What am I doing?"

He looked back and mentally slapped himself for not following sooner and took off after them.

---

"Where the hell are we," Dark Ren asked as they walked down the trail. Pirika shrugged.

"I don't know. I thought a grand member of the Tao family would have all the answers."

His eyes narrowed and he glared at her. "Don't go and insult my family you Aniu-brat!"

"I wasn't. I was insulting you," she told him. He growled deeply.

"Damn you. I shouldn't have brought you along; things would be going a lot smother if you weren't around.

"Hush up, we wouldn't have gotten lost if you weren't leading us.

"You're the one who got us lost!"

They glared at each other for a while as they walked, shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. It was about that time that they noticed that Gray Ren was not in front of them. Pirika's anger was the moment she noticed it and she looked around.

"Gary Ren," she called out, "where are you!"

"Where the hell did he run off to?"

"We got to find him!"

Dark Ren looked at her, his golden eyes shining in determination. "I know, but calling out his name won't help. Let's make camp here and wait, he can't be too lost."

So he put up their two tents while Pirika gathered fire wood. It was easy going, despite the fact that winter was beginning to set in. He told her not to be surprised it they got snow soon. When Pirika had returned with the fire wood he had the tents up and got the fire started. They ate a dinner that consisted mostly of camp foods ((stuff that you can cook in a can, like beans)) but it didn't taste that bad so they were satisfied.

Dark Ren didn't say anything as they sat; he looked to be in deep thought. Pirika sat close by, here blanket wrapped tightly around her, as she watched the fire burn. She looked over and watched him as he sat, but didn't say anything to disturb him. When he was like that, he looked so intense. She shook her head and walked to her tent, going to sleep.

---

Dark Ren stared at his hand as it shook lightly, and he took several deep breaths. He felt strange, like his whole mind was covered in a deep fog. He gripped his head and fell to the ground as the voice came to him.

"Boy… are you still trying to run away from your destiny?"

"I don't want the destiny that you made for me," he hissed at the voice. He heard it laugh as it took the form of a shadowy dragon.

"It doesn't matter what you wan, you have no choice in the matter. You will lose you mind and join me, sooner then you think."

"Shut up!" Dark Ren yelled at the shadow dragon, his anger reaching boiling point. "I'm not like you; I won't join your army."

"You will." A fresh spasm of pain passed threw him as the dragon's eyes glowed red, making him fall to the ground. Visions of blood shed, people falling by hands filled his mind, and he screamed out in pain and grabbed his head.

"Stop! Stop showing me these things! I won't, I won't be like you!"

The shadow dragon disappeared and Dark Ren fell to the ground, still grabbing his head. Hi breaths came in quick, uneven gasp, and blood fell from his eyes like tears. He stood up and stumbled over to a tree but looked back at Pirika's tent. He stood right in front of it and fell sideways, passing out.

---

Pirika got up in the morning, starched and yawned. She had gotten a good rest and was ready to start the day. After getting dressed, she walked out and found Dark Ren laying right outside her tent. He was a mess; dried blood was still on his cheeks and he looked very pale. She picked him up, discovering he was pretty light, and carried his close to the fire. After wrapping him up in her blanket, she began to wash off the blood with some water she had found in a near by stream.

He didn't stir much while she did it, even though the water was cold. He bereaved lightly and seemed to be having a dream. He would whimper slightly and move away from her as he slept, but only ever so slightly. Pirika smiled slightly and fixed the blankets around him better.

"You're so strange," she said as she shook her head. He muttered something in his sleep that sounded a lot like 'you should talk' and she burst into a laughing fit.

In the middle of her laughing Dark Ren woke up and sat up slowly. He didn't seem to notice that she was by him, but felt his cheek to feel the moister there and he blinked. His hand was shacking though and he gripped it with his other hand in hopes of making the shacking stop. After he sighted, Pirika said something.

"You were laying outside my tent, a mess. I washed the blood off your face."

He looked at her, his golden eyes shining unsurely but he nodded. "Thanks."

"What happened? What caused you to end up like that?"

"I-"Dark Ren hesitated for a moment and looked down. It took a few moments for her to say anything. "I can't explain, it would put you in danger."

"I'm in a lot of danger now," Pirika said, huffing up, "what difference does a little more danger make?"

He didn't say anything again for a while, gripping his head as he sat. He had a look of great distress on his features, and she suddenly felt that maybe she shouldn't have asked. Presently, he looked up and stared at her. "I'm being hunted. By who I don't know, but he wants me to join him. He," he paused for a moment and swallowed, before continuing, "came to me last night. That is how I ended up in the shape I was in."

"Was Ren also looking for this person, and begin hunted?"

"Yes."

She shrived and nodded. She now realized that she didn't even know the true Ren, he was always so quiet. Maybe meeting the two sides of his soul was a good thing. It was helping her get to know the true Ren even more.

"Will you protect me," she suddenly asked the dark half of Ren's soul, and he blinked at her.

"What?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll need someone to protect me and since you're the half that's most likely the most battle harden, you'll have to do it."

He blinked and shrugged. He seemed to be regaining some of his old nature now. "I guess I could, seeing how you don't have any powers of your own. But you owe me"

"Hm," Pirika thought, bringing her knees up close to her body, "how about a date?"

Dark Ren though about this for a moment and then nodded. "I guess that will do."

After their little discussion, they fixed breakfast and didn't say anything else to each other. It was getting colder and they sat bundled up close to the fire. They both hoped that Gray Ren would find them soon ((Dark Ren was sure he could handle himself)). In the after noon, a strange elderly Chinese man come walking down the path and he asked them both;

"May I share your fire?"

Pirika looked at Dark Ren and he nodded to the man, who smiled warily and sat down. He unwrapped the green cloak that was around him slightly and smiled at the two. "It is good to see people still remember to visit this lost place."

"We were looking for something," Dark Ren replied, he nodded.

"Answers to questions, people are always looking for those. But I can answer one of your questions, dark one. You will not lose your mind, and the secret of who you really are will be relived to you soon."

He didn't get ask what the elderly man meant by that because he suddenly disappeared, leaving Pirika surprised. Dark Ren growled slightly and shook his head before sitting down.

"I hate it when people do that," he muttered, chucking another piece of wood into the fire. Pirika sat down close by.

---

Later on that after noon, Dark Ren got the strange feeling that they were being watched. They were sitting on the ground near the fire and wrapped up in their blankets. There was a roar suddenly deep in the forest and the roar made the hairs on the back of Pirika's neck stand up on end. Wither Dark Ren was scared also; she couldn't be sure because he hid all the emotions from his face. He stood up and pushed Pirika behind himself.

"I guess it's time to see if I can protect you," he said as the noise drew closer. HE looked at her and she noticed that he was scared, from the look in his eyes, but she was sure he was trying really hard to hide it.

A large black dragon head came out of the woods and tried to attack Dark Ren but he quickly grabbed Pirika and jumped out of the way. The dragon came out fully into the clearing and roared at them, looking at them with fiery red eyes. It was a large dragon, about the size of a Simi truck, and it was lizard like. Its scales were black and jagged, and some kind of black gunk hanged from them. Its teeth were long and sharp; it's horns ranked back and were jagged. Dark Ren swallowed and sighed.

"Great, I wish I had a weapon. This would be easier."

Just after he said that his right hand began to glow and a Kon Dow appeared. He stared at it for a moment and then grinned. "I don't know how I did that but alright. Pirika, get out of here!"

"No way!"

"Do it!" He looked back at her, his golden eyes blazing. "I can't protect you if you're already dead!"

Pirika realized what he was saying was true and took off running. The dragon tried to attack her but Dark Ren attacked, holding it back. She found her way out of the forest but she was on a ledge that hanged over a nice rocky bottom. She knew that would kill it she fell. She looked around, hoping to find a means of escape when Dark Ren came slitting out of the forest, the Dragon following close behind. He was cut up all over, three large gash marks were in his sides and there was a small chunk of his shoulder missing. The dragon roared at them but flew away.

"That was weird," Pirika stated.

_Crack_

"Oh no."

The ground under them gave way and Dark Ren only had enough time to grab Pirika's wrist and stab his kon dow into the remaining stone ledge. Pirika hanged on to him with both hands, while he attempted to keep a hold of her while keep the kon dow stabbed into the stone. It slipped slightly and Pirika made a small squeal.

"Sorry about this," Dark Ren said, as it slipped a little more.

"Oh, it's not your fault," she told him with a smile, "It's the Dragon's."

Dark Ren's weapon slipped and fell out of the rock, sending the both of them into a free fall. He closed his eyes when suddenly the falling feeling stopped. His eyes opened and he saw it was Gray Ren who saved them.

"It's about fucking time you got here," he cursed. Gary Ren begged apology.

"I was scouting a head, looking for a good path for us to take. I was coming back when I heard the roar."

He pulled them both up and they laid on the ground, tired for the effort. As they sat, Pirika suddenly started laughing, confusing the two boys. They looked at each other for a moment and then shrugged, and when she finished laughing she turned to them.

"What should we call you? Dark Ren and Gray Ren is too odd."

Dark Ren looked in deep thought for a moment and then said, "Just call me Dark."

"Call me Haiiro," Gary Ren said energetically. Pirika nodded and smiled.

"That's a lot better! So Haiiro," he smiled when she said that, "where's the path you found?"

He stood up and pointed east. "It's that way!"

"Let's go then!"

**End of Chapter five…**

A/N: Wow, chapter five is longer then chapter four… Oo I would like to thank all of you who reviewed my fiction, thank you so very much. It is very encouraging. Sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes that may be in this, I did the best I could with what little time I had to use. Next chapter: They go back to Japan but Dark does something bad, something that may pull the whole shaman crew apart. Also, Haiiro goes nuts! And more visions! Stay tuned.


	6. Chapter 6: Part Two: Dark's folly

**A/N: This chapter was two months in the making I believe, since I haven't up dated this fiction in all that time. Sorry. Hopefully this chapter meets your expectations of my writing ability. So far in the story, we left of when Pirika and the boys are heading back to the Flame Inn. Hopefully things will get better for them.**

Chapter Six: Dark's folly

'I'm sorry.'

It was snowing when the trio arrived at the Flame Inn, and the sky was beginning to darken as night approached. Pirika didn't seem bothered with the coming night but ran up to the door cheerfully. She then turned around.

"It feels good to be back, even…" she started nervously, "if we didn't find anything out."

Dark shrugged. "Oh well, there is plenty of places left to look. Besides," he said coolly, "your visions gave us a glimpse into the past. Have you had anymore?"

Pirika though for a moment and suddenly remembered. There was a dream she had on the plane ride back but it was too strange to be a vision. She shook her head. "I had a dream, but it wasn't a vision."

Dark didn't seem to be convinced by what she said, but he left her alone. Pirika turned her eyes to Haiiro who shrugged, and then she knocked on the door.

----

"So, you didn't find anything out," Anna said calmly.

"Yeah, we found nothing. My weird visions have given us a look into the past, but what good does that do?"

"You got to be careful with your visions," Tammy said quietly.

"Why's that?" Pirika asked, looking slightly confused.

"Not all the things you see will be clear and the meaning could get confused, it could lead you to doing something reckless."

"Don't worry about me; I won't do anything that could get any of us dead. It's Dark you should worry about."

"Where is he anyway," Yoh asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Up in the spare room resting, Yoh." Anna turned to Pirika. "You should go and check on him. And take some food."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

Dark wasn't in his room, he was in Tao Ren's room, staring at the soulless body he had once shared with Haiiro. Ren looked like he was asleep, resting peacefully but the truth was he was locked in a coma like state. Dark watched from the shadows then spoke to the shell.

"So, it has come to this, huh Ren? Secretly I knew it would end like this. You see, I can't let him have that body. If he used it, who knows what would happen."

Dark walked closer to the body and smiled sadly. "You shouldn't have used the pendent, then I wouldn't have to kill you now…"

Dark was holding a dagger in his hand and he raised it up until it was right over Ren's heart. "I'm sorry."

He didn't hear the door open a moment before he brought the dagger down into Ren's chest, to pierce his heart and kill the empty body. Pirika had been just walking in, wondering if she would find Dark here, and she saw the deed. She dropped the tray and screamed.

Dark looked over, a look on his face of shocked mixed with confusion. Had she seen what he did? Of course she did, but why did see out of all people have to? He went to say something, but Pirika spoke up.

"How could you? He was your body, how could you kill him?"

"Pirika, I-"

"No, don't make up some kind of excuse. It's your entire fault, no way you can deny it."

Right at that moment, the others arrived and saw what happened. The reactions of the on lookers were mixed. Anna looked as calm as ever, and was looking from Dark to Pirika as if waiting for something to happen. Yoh looked partly confused and had a look of pity on his face. Horo looked angry and confused. Haiiro looked almost possessed; there was a look of great rage mixed with hate on his face, making him look ugly and wrong. He moved into the room and stared at Ren's now dead body before jumping on Dark.

"Asshole!" Haiiro slammed his right fist into Dark's face repentantly, and the beating went unnoticed until Haiiro broke Darks nose and Anna pulled him off Dark. She noticed that Dark didn't fight back at all, and just stared at the wall.

"Dark," Anna said in a commanding voice, "you're not telling use something. We need to know, why did you kill the body?"

He was about to answer when Haiiro interrupted him. "Why does it matter? He's a murder, his words don't matter."

Anna sent him a glare that made the boy shut up and turn away. "You were going to say?"

"The body as empty, a perfect opportunity for someone to posses it and use the body against us. I didn't want that to happen."

Anna looked at Yoh who nodded and then looked back at Dark. "That is a reasonable answer, and I accept it. Yoh, take care of Ren's body, and… Pirika?"

Pirika was in tears, holding her shacking hands over her face as she cried. Anna understood what was going on, but knew there was nothing she could do about it. Dark also stared at her then looked away in shame. Pirika ran out of the room, and then down the stairs from the sound of it. Anna look at Dark and he nodded. Time to go after her.

------

Why did she feel so cold? Maybe it was because of the cold winter's rain that caused her clothes to stick to her like a second skin. Or maybe it was just because of Ren's death. She couldn't be sure.

She pressed her face to the ground and asked to spirits to forgive her for not stepping in, for delaying to long. She pulled the knife she had brought with her and pulled her pony tail until it was far behind her.

_Slush_

A large chunk of her azure blue hair lay on the ground by her and she found herself crying again. Too much was happening at once. She sat up and looked at the knife in her hand and wondered. Did Ren hurt when he died; even if there was no soul inside him she raised the knife to her arm. Would she hurt if she cut herself?

Strong hands grabbed her knife hand away from the area she was about to cut and when she turned she found herself looking into the golden eyes of Dark. His eyes were cold but yet sad, but her anger rose so fast that she didn't notice. He was the one who caused her so much pain! He was the one! She pounded her fist into his chest, crying all the while.

He took her half hearted beating and just stared at her. It almost was a relief to have her doing that to him; at least she wasn't dead in the eyes and did nothing. She was slowing down and beginning to dissolve into tear. He didn't know what to do.

Without warning Pirika wrapped her arms around Dark's middle and cried into his chest. Confused and still out of answers. He did the only thing he could think of. He held her close. She sobbed loudly against him, her hands digging into his shirt.

"Pirika."

Dream vision

"Pirika."

She stood in a round room, candles surrounding her, flicking in the slight breeze. Alexandria was standing close by, her golden locks of hair handing down around her shoulders, a smile on her face. She was wearing at white gown that clung to her figure and went down to her ankles and no shoes. She smiled again, and walked closer.

"I've seem you before, in my visions," Pirika said, and Alexandria nodded.

"Yes, I've been giving them to you to show you the history of the Tao family, the part that they don't talk about too much. Yang was my lover, and one of Ren's ancestors. He was betrayed though by his twin, Ying."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Ying never died. He still exists today. He is the one who hunts Ren, and he won't stop."

"Why does he hunt Ren? It doesn't make much sense."

Alexandria smiled more. "I don't know why, but something is special about him."

Pirika looked confused. "But Ren's soul has been split in two, and his body is dead! What could be left?"

"Head back to the Old Tao Palace and then look for an underground pass to the crystal monument. Head to the spring, your answers wait there."

End

Pirika fell to sleep on Dark's chest and he watched her sleep with a confused expression on his face. This girl was indeed very confusing. She was one moment scared and then the next ready to fight. She was stronger then he though at the beginning. But he didn't have time to think about that now, the rain still poured over then, and Pirika was beginning to shiver in the cold. He picked her up and brought her inside.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Was it an enjoyable chapter? I hope so, and I hope you aren't too mad at me for not updating. Next chapter they return to the Old Tao Palace and something bad happens. We are reaching the end now… only five more chapters until this fiction is done. Till next time…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright, we are back for another exiting chapter of Two Sides! I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far… Actually people seem to like this a lot more then I though they would. I'm so glad though. Alright, now to the chapter!**

Chapter two: Return to the Old Tao Palace

Dark grabbed his head and fell to his knees with yell. A dark voice rang through his mind, causing torrent of pain to surge through him. The voices laughed at his pain, and cause more and more pain to torment the boy.

"Do you give up yet? Will you not give in and do what I ask?"

"Never," the youth growled.

"Worthless fool."

More pain surged through Dark casuing him to start rolling around on the ground. The evil laughed again. "You can not stop it. Once I am at full power again, everything you care about will be destroyed. Nothing can stop it."

"I will," Dark said, standing up. He stood, swaying slightly on weak legs and glared. "You won't hurt anyone else."

"You won't save her."

The voice and the pain vanished as Pirika opened the door, just to see the dark part of Ren's soul stumble forward and fall to his knees. She was still a little angry about what he did to Ren but at the moment was too full of concern to care about that. She ran over and knelt down beside him. "Dark, are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said after taking a few breaths, "fine."

"You saw the Hunter again, didn't you?"

Dark turned to look at her, some of his raven locks falling over one eye. "Yes. He was here, but that doesn't matter at the moment. What's up?"

"I had another vision. We're going back to the old Tao Palace."

"What?"

Pirika stood up and nodded. "That's right. Alexandria, the one giving me these visions, told me to go back. She said, 'Find the Crystal Monument-'"

"That's underground-"

"'And find the spring-'"

"That's great Pirika," Dark said as he got up also. "Now we have something to go on! It won't be long!"

Pirika blinked in surprise at the sudden changed in her friend but nodded. "I already got my stuff packed, and you and Haiiro don't have much to pack so we can leave quickly."

"You better go and tell Haiiro then, he might want to know."

"Oh, your right, be right back!" Then Pirika ran out of the room. Dark shook his head and sighed.

"It's almost time then…" He smirked slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "Everything will be restored to normal and soon I won't have to worry about **her** anymore. Damn these emotions."

-----

"Shh… keep it quiet."

"I'm trying to! It's Mr. Prissy here that's making all the noise."

"Grr…"

"Haiiro, please keep it down!"

"I can't as long as he is around."

"You're still upset about that?"

"Of course!"

"You'll two just keep it down or Anna'll-"

"Anna will what?"

The trio turned around just to see the one that they feared, Anna, standing not to far away. Pirika sighed; she knew it couldn't be that easy.

"Leaving," Anna asked coolly,

"I got another vision. I didn't want to wake you and-"

Pirika's sentence was interrupted by Anna's surprise hug. Never in her life had she seen Anna hug anyone, not even Yoh, and here she was getting hugged by here. The median let go of the Aniu girl and told her quietly, so the boy's couldn't hear her, "Watch out for Dark, something is important about him. Also, be careful around Haiiro, he feels unstable."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. You have no reason to worry."

"Good luck then. And beware of the black Crystal Lake."

With that said, Anna turned around and walked back into the inn, leaving Pirika confused. She shook her head, and walked back to the boys.

"What was she saying," Haiiro asked.

"Just asking if we're going back to China and wishing us good luck," Pirika lied.

"Oh."

---

"Okay, we're back here. Now what," Haiiro asked.

"We head back to the Old Tao Palace," Dark said firmly, gaining a glare from the other Ren.

"Stop it, Haiiro; what Dark said is the truth. We got to go under the palace and find the spring!" Pirika said all this is a determined voice, and smiled brightly. "So hurry up you two! Same way as last time," she looked at Dark.

"I don't see why not-"

"Then hurry!" She grabbed Dark's hand and pulled him along, still smiling. She couldn't wait to see the end of their journey, and see Ren restored. To bad it wouldn't be that easy of a road.

**A/N: The end of chapter two, so what did ya think? Actually to tell the truth, I got most of the rest of the chapters done already. With this left unfinished, I can't work on my Fantasy novel Tenma Ketsueki… I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Preview for the next chapter: The Chase begins**

**"Interesting…" Dark said as he sat down again. "I wonder which one of Ren's souls is like Yin."**

**Pirika wondered if she should tell him what Anna had said about Haiiro. He did have the right to know, but how would he handle it? She deiced that she wouldn't tell him just yet.**

**"I think it's me."**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Welcome to chapter eight of 'Two Sides,' by Shaman king fan fiction. I hope you enjoyed the story so far and are ready for more. I am working on another fan fiction dealing with Shaman King, but I will need another author to help me. It will be one of those Co-written works, because I don't think I will be able to do it alone. The Fiction is called 'Frozen Light' and is an AU fiction. Leave me a note in your review if you are interested.**

**Enough about that, let's get to the fiction!**

Chapter Eight: The Chase begins

"It's still really cold here," Pirika said quietly, shivering.

"Cold, even for Aniu stander," Dark asked.

"A little."

They were climbing up a tall, snow covered mountain on their way to the ruined Old Tao palace. Pirika was dressed in a warm, dark blue winter jacket with ear muff on, gloves and boots. Dark didn't seem to mind the weather at all; he was dressed in a short sleeve shirt under a light jacket, blue jeans and boots. Haiiro was dressed similarly to Pirika.

"It-t's co-old…" Haiiro stuttered.

"Chilly," Dark corrected.

"Chil-chilly then. Doesn't ma-matter. It-ts still cold."

Dark walked further ahead chuckling slightly, enjoying Haiiro suffering. Pirika really admired the way he didn't seem to feel the weather around them. Sometimes she wished she didn't at times also. He turned back to them and nodded.

"We're back."

The old Tao Palace looked a lot like the picture of the new Tao Palace Ren had shown her once. It consisted of two large wooden main buildings, and one large tower. The tower was wooden and had many windows. The stone top glittered in the half light. Of course what caught Pirika's eyes was what bad shape it was in. According to what Dark had told her, one of the members of the Tao Family long ago went insane and destroyed most of what was once there. She sighed deeply.

"Well, we better get down there and rest up," Pirika said, to answer Haiiro's questioning face. He nodded and they walked down.

---

"Are you alright Dark?"

Dark had been leaning against the wooden wall, and hand over his eyes, bereaving heavily. He nodded slightly. "Yeah fine."

"You don't look like it."

He removed his hand and turned to her, his eyes cold. "Just stay out of my business."

"You don't have to be so rude."

Dark's eyes lowered. "Sorry."

"It's alright, I can see why you're so tense," she said understandingly. "Oh, I need to tell you something."

"What's that? Why didn't you tell us when Haiiro was awake?"

"I uh… I'll tell you later. When Alexandria gave me my last vision, she told me it was Yin, Yang's twin brother, who caused the destruction here."

"Yang is one of the people I am descended from, right," he asked.

"According to her, yes."

"Interesting," Dark said as he sat down again. "I wonder which one of the parts of Ren's soul is like Yin."

Pirika wondered if she should tell him what Anna had said about Haiiro. He did have a right to know. But how would he handle it? She deiced that she wouldn't tell him yet, but soon.

"I think it's me," he said.

"I don't think so."

"What? You think Haiiro is unstable?"

"No… uh… not really."

"Then who do you think it is?"

"Just go to sleep!" She threw her pillow at him.

"Alright! Good night."

"Night, Dark-kun."

Dark wrapped the blanket he had around him tightly and wondered. Something was happening. There was a feeling of foreboding in the air and a heavy wind blowing. Soon everything would change. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

---

"Hey, Pirika!"

Pirika opened her eyes tiredly and sat up, looking around. Haiiro was already up, a bright smile on his face.

"What time is it?"

"Five in the morning."

"That's early, I'm going back to bed."

"No!" He seemed slightly angry at her for even suggesting that. "I want to show you something."

"Then I'll get Dark up."

"No… I only want to show you." His eyes narrowed and he smiled. A feeling of horror washed over Pirika and she began to back away.

"Haiiro… something is wrong. Your not the-"

No one heard her scream, not even Dark as he picked her up roughly. "I put him under a very powerful sleep spell, dear. He won't wake up. Oh, I have lots to show you."

---

"Time to wake up everyone! Today's the…"

Dark had woken up to complete quiet, and a feeling that told him a great evil had been near by. He looked at the sleeping places of Pirika and Haiiro but they were gone. Suddenly he felt very worried.

"Pirika?"

He heard nothing but a ringing silence. It made him afraid. He stood up and ran down the stone halls.

'Is it time already? God, I had been hoping it wouldn't be so soon. Why the hell did it have to be right now, when they were so close?"

He knew where to go at least. The Crystal monument and then the Spring. Would he get there in time though?

**A/N: Alright, done with chapter eight. Guess what folks; we only have three more chapters to go until the fan fiction is finished. So what do you think? Have you enjoyed it so far? Tell me in your review! Alright… preview!**

**Chapter Nine: The truth relived**

'**I have to hurry, who knows how much time she has… I can't fail!" **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Welcome to Shaman King: Two sides chapter nine. In this exciting chapter, we get to find out a few things about the character…**

**Oh, so sorry for the long time not posting anything in this fic. I swear I'll try to make up for it some how… Maybe make a squeal to this fic is you like… Well, on to chapter nine.**

Chapter Nine: The Truth reviled

Dark ran down the stairs at a fast pace, not really caring that every once in a while he would bump into a wall, causing him to stumble. He didn't even care that his foot caught on the side of the stairs, casing him to fall over and roll the rest of the way down the stairs. He didn't really care. All that mattered to him was Pirika.

His mind screamed with so many different thoughts that he wasn't sure what to feel other then worry and fear. His body was screaming out for rest, but he knew that he couldn't stop until he reached the Spring.

"The Crystal monument… the Spring…"

He kept muttering that to himself, his mind continuing to scream out for him to hurry up and rescue the poor Aniu girl. What was wrong with him was the question. Why was he so worried? He didn't want to think about the reason why, he just wanted to get to her…. For some reason he could not understand, Haiiro worried him to hell. The thought of him alone with Pirika made him cringe. Was it jealousy? Maybe so, but there was no time to worry.

"I have to hurry, who knows how much time she has… I can't fail!"

---

Haiiro dragged Pirika along by keeping a strong grip on her arm with his hand, causing her arm to go numb because of lack of circulation. As much as she struggled, she couldn't get away. The half of Ren's soul was smirking strangely, making him look dark and inhuman. He looked back at her, causing the Aniu girl to winch.

"Why do you struggle against me love?" His voice was cool, calm but had a dark edge to it.

"I am not your love!"

Haiiro laughed. "No now but you will be soon."

They entered a room finally and Pirika was caught off guard. The room was large and spacey, stone walls lined with wood carvings of long since passed times and cloth tapestries. There were four pillars holding up the ceiling, and each had a design of some kind of animal on it. In the center of the room was a large, crystal formation of a dragon wrapped around a Yin yang, looking strangely majestic. Haiiro pulled her over towards the monument.

"The Tao's family's monument to their strength," he said, laughing. "How the mighty have fallen."

He began to walk towards the door on the other side of the room when Pirika say a flash image of Alexandria and then say a small pixy flying not too far away. She looked just like a miniature version of Alexandria. Before she was pulled fully out of the room, the pixy talked into her mind.

Don't worry, I'll make sure that Dark get's to you.

Pirika smiled in appreciation before she was pulled out of the room.

---

Dark had finally reached the Crystal monument, so he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. As he leaned against one of the pillars, a flash of light caught his attention. A little pixy of sorts, with bright blonde hair and clear wings was flying over to him. Her bright blue eyes reminded him of Pirika, and he felt his heart ach.

"Dark!" The pixy had a very mature voice, soft yet firm. It surprised him a little. "Pirika is in trouble, the Gray man has her!"

Dark's gold eyes widened in surprise and he stood upright better. "Where did they go?"

"This way!"

---

The Spring had no water in it, but was made out of a blue crystal, that shown like a lake. When Haiiro entered the room, the crystal turned black and jagged spikes formed everywhere over the surface of the spring. Pirika stared at the spring, wondering how to get across when Haiiro grabbed her and they floated to the island in the middle of the Spring.

"Haiiro!"

Both the Aniu girl and the half of Ren's soul looked over and much to Pirika's relief she saw Dark standing on the other side of the spring. He was on the very edge of the land. Haiiro looked amused.

"Oh, it's you, I though you may have died."

"I'm afraid you're not that lucky. Let her go!"

Haiiro shook his head. "No cando, Ren. She is to be my Queen when you and I fuse as one again. Doesn't she make the perfect queen?"

Dark's eyes flashed dangerously. "I won't let you do that!"

Haiiro's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think that you have any choice in the matter? Pirika will be mine, and so will you."

Pirika struggled. "Your Yin, aren't you?"

The half of Ren's soul looked surprised for a moment before he laughed. "Yes I am, clever girl. I am glad I chose you." He turned his eyes back to Dark, who was still glaring. "Take off your shoes."

"What?"

"Take off your shoes and socks and walk across the spring surface. When you reach this side, bow before me. If you don't I will kill her." He put a claw against her neck to prove his point.

Dark reached for his shoes but Pirika called out. "No, don't do it. I'm not worth it."

"Your worth everything.."

Removing his shoes and socks, he began his slow walk across the jagged surface of the spring. With each step, the jagged pieces of black crystal cut into the tender flesh of his feet. Pirika could see the pain clearly on his face, though he tried to hide it. Once in a while he would catch his foot on a piece of crystal and fall over onto his hands and knees. He would then get up and continue on.

When he reached the island, he fell forward into a short of awkward bow. Yin began to laugh.

"See Ren, as much as you tried to run from this time, I still managed to get you. You have no power worth mine, you're a weak fool!"

Dark had had enough. "Don't call me Ren! I am not him."

"You mean you haven't realized it yet? If I am Yin, what does that make you, Ren?"

Pirika suddenly realized that it all made sense, even though she was completely caught off guard… If she had really been traveling with Yin and Ren the whole time, then she really didn't need to go on this quest with then to fuse them back together. Actually… it would have been really bad if they did. Haiiro though, she realized, had let go of her so she ran over to Ren before he had a chance to grab her again. Ren put a hand on her shoulder before he looked at Yin.

"If that is true… then there is no reason to be afraid anymore."

**A/N: So what do you think? Ren is actually Dark, and the whole time Haiiro was really Yin, the person who had destroyed a lot of the Tao family long ago. I hope it was worth the wait for you.. Next chapter is going to be short, but that is because it is the fight chapter… Till next time!**

**Preview-**

**Yin grabbed Ren by his face and slammed him to the ground. "You can't beat me, you never can!"**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Ah, chapter ten. The second to last chapter of this Shaman King fan fiction. Did you like the ride? I really did have lots of fun writing this. It was funny to see your reactions last chapter ((those who reviewed)) about Ren and Yin. I'm glad I managed to surprise.**

**But enough about that… on to the fan fiction. **

Chapter Ten: The final battle

"Spirits of the damn and forgotten heed your masters call and come to me! Give me strength to defeat my enemies! I summon thee!"

The ground began to shack and thousands of large, formless green souls poured out of the cave walls. All of them were in different forms but they were all screaming horribly. Pirika covered her ears to block out the sound but that wasn't enough. The sound was in her head louder then ever.

The souls orbited around Yin for a few moments before the pushed inside of the shaman, causing him to glow green and the ground to shack. But that was all gone within moments, and Yin stood their hunched over, his eyes glowing sickly green. He smiled coldly.

"Pirika, I suggest you run for it," Ren told her, but she shook her head.

"We came this far together didn't we? Let's finish it together."

Ren looked at her unsurely for a moment, his golden eyes shimmering in the dark light. He had to protect her, and she would be much safer away from the battle ground. But he knew that she wouldn't leave, no matter what. She wanted to fight with him, no matter if she couldn't fight at all.

"I don't know how you could help..."

The little pixy smile brightly and tugged on Pirika's short hair. "I am your spirit now! I can change into a spear and you can fight that way!"

She nodded. "See Ren, were there's a will, their's a way."

The Chinese Shaman nodded and his kon dow appeared in his hand and he stood up. Yin had deiced at that point to say something.

"Are you done talking yet, I would like to get your deaths over with!"

"We are!"

Ren charged at Yin at full speed, his spear charged up with white blue energy but the dark Shaman blocked it with his hand, moving it aside. He smirked at Ren, and chuckled slightly. "Isn't this kind of funny Ren, how all this time you have wanted to fight me and finally here we are? The only thing is… your going to die."

"I don't think so!"

Alexandria had turned into a spear and Pirika attacked Yin and managed to cut his cheek. He looked very surprise. "Very nicely done!"

He grabbed the end of her spear and twisted her around, then slammed his fist into Ren. Pirika got out of his grasp and attacked him again but he moved out of the way. He slammed Ren to the ground, and laughed.

"You can never hope to stop me. You are truly stupid to think so."

Ren just got up though, and whipped some blood away from the corner of his mouth. "Coward."

"What was that?"

"You're a coward. Come and fight me."

Yin charged at Ren and green energy met blue as their fist collided, sending a shock wave out that sent Pirika back a few feet. Ren was smirking as their combined energies twisted around them in strange patterns, though the dark shaman didn't look too amused. Yin's fist connected with Ren's face and he went flying back. The dark shaman floated up, glowing bright green.

"Enough of this folly. You will both die!"

Green shards of what looked like glass shot out of Yin from all directions, but before Pirika could get hit Ren jumped in front of her. The shards went through him and then back through him again and again. Ren's face didn't change emotions though. He just glared at the dark Shaman.

"You will never achieve your goals!"

Green flames were now spiraling around Yin, though they could still see his shape through the light. "At least two of us will die…"

A glowing green ball appeared before Yin and for a moment it just floated there before it shot towards Ren. Pirika saw that he didn't move. Why wouldn't he move? She jumped up and tried to pull him away but he didn't move. She looked at the looming ball of fire and suddenly she heard a voice;

'Pirika, believe and you will save him!'

A beam of pinkish-white light shot of Pirika went through the glowing green ball and went into Yin. For a moment all was quiet until Yin screamed out in pain. He was dissolving!

"No, I won't die like this! I won't-"

He disappeared into a ball of light, and they could both sense that he was gone then, forever. Pirika in her relief hugged Ren and smiled at him.

"We did it!"

He nodded. "Yes."

The ball of light though continued to expand, and both of them just stared at it. Ren smiled though, he wasn't worried really. He felt completely calm and at ease. He looked back at Pirika who stared up at him worried and he managed to smile again. At least, even if that light destroyed them... they were together…

---

Anna looked out her bedroom window just to see a large ball of white light appear in the yard and when it vanished, Pirika and Dark laid on the ground outside. Smiling slightly to herself, she began her slow walk down stairs.

**A/N: So what did ya think? Yeah I know, it was pretty short, and it most likely sucked. I can't do fight scenes; they annoy the hell out of me. At least next chapter I get to go more into my element. **

**I still got a lot of ideas for this fic, should I continue or should I make a squeal? Tell me in your Reviews please. I want to know what you think. Till next time! R&R**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ah yes, the final part of Two sides, my shaman king fan fiction. I hope you enjoyed the ride throughout, even though you had to wait for a while to read the chapters because I got lazy… Sorry for that. bow Well, I'm thinking about writing a squeal of shorts, but I'm not sure yet what it would be about exactly yet. If you have any suggestions, write it in your review. On to the fan fiction!**

Chapter Eleven: Epilog

Pirika's dreams were peaceful and happy, most of it involving her and Ren. She laughed in her sleep as Ren tackled hugged her. Anna watched over her, and smiled slightly as she watched Pirika laugh. She knew she must be having a good dream, but she couldn't help but wonder what it was about.

Pirika finally woke up a little late and stared at the ceiling before she sat up. "What, how did I get back here?"

"You teleported here from where ever you were, and I brought you inside with some help."

Pirika turned to the cold girl and smiled. "Oh, that's good."

She looked around the room and looked worried for a moment before Anna waved her hand. "Dark is in his room, sleeping hopefully."

She nodded. "I hope Ren is alright. Was he hurt bad?"

"Not seriously. He should be just fine."

She nodded again and stood up. "I'm going to check on Ren. I'll be back in a moment."

Before she left, Anna grabbed her arms and she said, "Why do you keep calling him Dark?"

Pirika blushed slightly and then nodded. "Dark is actually Ren, he was the whole time. Haiiro was actually Yin. It's a long story, I'll explain it a little late alright? I'm worried about Ren."

Anna let her go and watched the blue haired girl leave the room. She was happy for the girl, but she was hoping that she didn't get in way over her head. She knew how Ren could be.

---

Ren's golden eyes opened and he looked around the room then sat up quickly. Pain that formed all over his body forced him back down and he groaned. Why was he back in his bed room and the En Inn? Wasn't he just at that cave under the old Tao palace? He looked around the room and suddenly his thoughts turned back to Pirika and he tried to get up again, but the pain was too much.

The door opened and the person he was worried about walked in. She smiled warmly at Ren and walked over. "Hey Ren."

He smiled at her, his gold eyes shining in the light. "Pirika, are you alright?"

"Of course I am silly," she said as she stroked his hair. "Are you in pain?"

"No," he lied. She just smiled at him again and shook her head.

"I know your lying. So stop it, you darn stubborn Tao."

Ren laughed, but he soon started coughing. "Don't make me laugh, you dumb Aniu."

For a while all they did was stare at each other, until Pirika laid her head down on his chest. Ren managed to smile, while he touched her hair with his bandaged hand. "You know," Pirika said, "you are really warm."

"Well, I don't feel too warm." He shivered slightly. Pirika laughed, and it caused Ren to grab a hold of her to stop her form moving. She struggled against him, but his strong arms held her tightly in place. "Stop struggling, your warm."

The door opened again as Horo walked in, Ren and Pirika both froze as the man suddenly turned bright red in anger. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's nothing!"

"Just shut up Broom-head."

"Ren, I am going to kill you!"

"Bring it on!"

"Stop!"

----One year later----

"Ren-kun!"

Pirika ran over to Ren and wrapped her arms around him, and the boy who was just about a man blushed deeply. "I wish you would stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Calling me Ren-kun."

She smiled brightly at him and played with his hat. "Well, tell me again what you call me when we are alone?"

He blushed deeper. "No way… I'm not saying it out here."

"Say it, or no cookies for you."

"Alright." He paused for a moment and then whispered. "Pillacins."

She hugged him again and nodded. "That's a funny name. Why did you think of that?"

"Played too much of a game called 'Katamari'. I sometimes think of pills when I hear your name."

She nodded though looked slightly flustered. "Oh thanks." Crossing her arms, she looked away from him. He smirked at her though and kisses her cheek.

"You remind me of those happy pills that some people take."

She smiled. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Come on, I'll show you!"

As he took her hand and they ran off, a man watched then go, and smiled wickedly as he watched. Pulling out a spell book, he whispered;

"Rosin d' natha errdegahr, yutsu ulu nindel vel'bol dos ph'. P'los l' ending d' nindol week, dos orn doera nindel vel'bol dos treemma."

**End Fiction!**

**A/N: So what did you think? I think I finished it off on a dark note, for another fan fiction. If you have any suggestions, please put them in your review.**

**Sequel will be called 'Errdegahr Lar' which means 'Demon Call' in drow. I hope you will look forward to it! Till next time all!**


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